Your guide to the best ISO Baby Shower!

Whilst all of us are forced to adjust to the new rules of life with Covid 19, precious new arrivals haven’t changed their plans at all! They are coming, whether we are ready or not!

So to combat your inevitable disappointment of not being able to have a conventional event, we have put together this guide for you to host the best baby shower possible, it may even turn out to be better than you imagined!

Create an online event/invitation

The easiest way to do this is by creating a private event on Facebook. Your event page provides the ‘when and how’ and is a space where all attendees can forward photo’s and messages in one spot. However you could investigate using Paperless Post or Greenvelope who also provide digital invitations and communication platforms.

If for some reason you are not comfortable hosting the event, have a close friend or maid of honour do it for you 🙂

Forward an online gift registry to your guests

This is where we come in 🙂 Sign up to The Gift Register, compile a list of your favourite items – anything from anywhere, then share it with your guests via a URL link. Your guests can select and purchase an item and ensure it is delivered to your address. So on the day of your shower, you will have a special time opening gifts and thanking guests for their contributions.

If guests are close by, another novel idea for gifting is a ‘sprinkle shower’. Have a few people drop presents off every hour (you can use a digital roster such as Signup Genius) and that way the fun is spread over the whole day!

A special guest book

Prior to the day, give guests instructions to submit a sheet for your guestbook (as a PDF by email). This might be a great job for a friend or Maid of Honour. Define the specifications such as size (A5 or A4) and orientation (landscape or portrait) and then have each guest submit their own personalised page. To make it easy, maybe you can provide a template? All sheets are emailed to you prior to the day so you can compile a special book to show at the event!

The online gathering

On your digital platform, set a day and time for the event (just like a normal shower) This is when all your friends and family come together on a live stream. There are a few options here: Facetime group on your phone (only iOS devices), Skype (not password protected), Google Hangouts (needs a google account, max 10 participants) or Zoom (40min max for free)… or you might also want to consider Facebook live! Our advice here is to go with whatever you are most comfortable with and to avoid having any tech issues, make sure you do a trial run prior to the event 🙂

Decorate your home or room just like a normal party … it will get everyone into the mood! You could even pre-organise your favourite take away food or cupcake/snack items to be delivered to your guests in their own house!

Itinerary

If you are on Zoom and confined to a 40minute stream, you could organise your time like this:

0-5mins: Fix any connection issues. Hellos & introductions.
5-30mins: Games of your choice.
30-35mins: Thank guests for all gifts received.
35-40mins: General banter & goodbyes when time is up.

The time is obviously going to fly by and 4o minutes is a bare minimum time to stream. Set alarms to notify you when each section is over. If using this format we suggest sticking to a maximum of 2 games. Obviously with more time, you would have the freedom to pad this out so it is a bit more relaxed!

Game ideas

Create a Kahoot trivia game: A,B,C,D answers … ask questions like: How did parents meet? What colour theme is in the nursery? Who will be the strict parent? What is the circumference of my belly? List baby items from cheapest to most expensive. All the tech for this can be set up prior to the event.

Song contest. How many songs your guest name with the word ‘baby’ in the title? The one with the most wins a prize!

The Price is Right! Choose a standard baby item, and have everyone guess the price (written on a piece of paper). Everyone reveals their answers to the camera. The two guests who are the closest to the price are then given 6 baby items to put in order from cheapest to most expensive. The person with the most items in the correct position will receive a prize.

Optional extras

Organise a drive by Shower Parade! If guests are located nearby, it could be a nice surprise (and a bit of fun) to ask the couple to go outside (before or after their live stream) and have a few people drive by and throw some nappies and/or presents out the window!!

Consider part of your event to be dedicated to some charitable giving for mums in need.

Don’t forget to do your thank you!

Once all the fun is over, use your chosen digital platform to send out a personalised thank you.

We hope this guide is helpful, and at the end of the day your ISO Baby shower is a huge success!! Maybe even just as much fun as a real one! … All the best for your new arrival! 🙂

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